A known typology of machines for forming hollow glassware comprises a plurality of forming sections, each of which comprises, in turn, a blank mold, a finish mold and an inverter unit arranged between the blank mold and the finish mold. The inverter unit comprises a support adapted to be connected to a base of the machine and a gripping member, which is adapted to grip the semi-finished glassware, realized in the blank mold, and rotating approximately 180° about a horizontal axis for transferring the semi-finished glassware into the finish mold, where a blowing step will be carried out.
In particular, the gripping member comprises a pair of arms, movable in a direction parallel to the horizontal rotation axis between a closed position, for gripping one or more semi-finished products realized in the blank mold and holding such semi-finished products during the rotation about the horizontal axis, and an open position for releasing the semi-finished products into the finish mold.
The arms comprise respective elongated bodies, in particular of the plate-type, having recesses for gripping the semi-finished glassware, and respective end sleeves, from which the elongated bodies protrude. The sleeves are operated by means of special actuators for performing the rotation about the horizontal axis and for the translation, which opens and closes the arms. At the same time, the elongated bodies are coupled to the respective sleeves by means of guide and slide couplings, which allow the position of the elongated bodies to be adjusted in a tangential direction with respect to the horizontal rotation axis, and by means of tightening screws, which hold the chosen position with respect to the sleeves.
The need is felt to adjust the axial position of the arms in an accurate manner on initial assembly of the machine, so as to align such axial position, in a precise manner, with the blank and finish molds. The same axial adjustment can also be useful in cases where production defects related to a misalignment of the arms with respect to the molds are identified. In the current known solutions, no mechanism is included for performing a centering in an axial direction of this type.
In particular, the need is felt to perform such centering in an axial direction in a simple, accurate and quick manner.